Patients are more likely to comply with their prescription drug regimen if their medication is packaged in a bottle featuring a cap that shows the time of the next dose, according to a new study released today.

The study, "Comparing Self-Administered 30-Day Supply Medication Adherence among Chronic Disease Patients with and without Remind-a-Cap,” examined 263 records at two Benzer pharmacies in Florida and one in North Carolina of 30-day prescription refills of medicines that treat such chronic illnesses as hypertension, depression and high cholesterol. The study, conducted between October 2015 and January 2016 on chronic patients with 30-day supply prescriptions, showed an average improvement of 8.7% in the Proportion of Days Covered (PDC), an industry-defined metric, translating to an approximate four-day improvement in the average time between refills with Remind-a-Cap over traditional prescription bottle caps.

In addition, all of the 117 patients who participated in the survey said that including Remind-a-Cap made them feel like their pharmacy cares more about their health, while 99% said they would like to continue to receive the cap with their prescriptions. The study was completed by JETT Consulting Group, a Berkeley Heights, NJ-based advisory firm helping private companies with investment, financial and operational analysis to support strategic growth plans.

The study, commissioned by Remind-a-Cap, the cap’s New York-based manufacturer, also suggests that including the device with prescriptions generates positive feelings towards pharmacies that use them, and could help ease the nation’s drug adherence epidemic, which each year claims 125,000 lives and costs the nation’s health care system nearly $300 billion in additional doctor visits, emergency department visits and hospitalizations.

“The results speak volumes about the effectiveness of a relatively simple device, and suggest the potential Remind-a-Cap has to help millions of Americans comply with their prescription medication regimens,” said Matt Ramoundos, executive vice president and director of operations at Remind-a-Cap.

Commercialized in 2015, Remind-a-Cap is a patented prescription medicine cap with a dial affixed to its underside, which, when turned, shows the day and time of the next dose on top. For more information about the cap, visit http://www.remindacap.com.

Benzer Pharmacy, the Tampa-based chain of 56 retail pharmacies in the U.S that specializes in excellent customer service and specialty drugs medication management programs for people with complex chronic diseases, has already begun to roll out Remind-a-Cap at its 30 Florida locations.

“We are excited by the prospect that Remind-a-Cap could help patients deepen their relationships with our pharmacists and our company,” said Alpesh Patel, president of Benzer Pharmacy. “We pride ourselves on providing exceptional service to our customers and are always looking for ways to do more for them.”

Benzer Pharmacy is a growing chain of independent retail pharmacies that provides specialty drugs and medication management programs for people with complex chronic diseases, including Hepatitis, HIV, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Dermatological conditions and Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). The first Benzer Pharmacy opened in 2009, and there are currently more than 50 locations throughout Florida, Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, Nevada and Louisiana. For more information about the company, visit http://www.benzerpharmacy.com